Muslims have great respect for Prophet Jesus and his mother Mary and are inspired by her in many ways.
We are passing through the holiday season and it's almost Christmas time. But tragically acts of violence and terrorism are there to spoil these happy moments through the ruthless atrocities.
6 Facts About Jesus’ Mother Mary Based on the Qur’an[/tweetthis]
Although Muslims do not celebrate Christmas we do sincerely wish all our Christian brothers and sisters in humanity a peaceful and Merry Christmas.
There are many who may not be aware that as Muslims, we do love and have great regard for Prophet Jesus (peace be on him) and his noble mother, Maryam (Mary) and in fact are inspired by her in many ways. I would like to share six key facts about Mary based on the Holy Qur’an:
- Name “Maryam (Mary)” has been mentioned in the Qur’an 34 times.
- Chapter 19 of Qur’an is named after her name, that is, Maryam.
- The Qur’an has declared Maryam to be role model for all Muslims. It states,
“And God sets forth for those who believe …the example of Mary, the daughter of ‘Imran” [66:13]. - We find Mary portrayed in pictures as a woman with hijab (head covering) thus as a Muslim woman she also becomes my inspiration and role model since I observe the hijab.
- The Qur’an narrates the details how mother of Mary even before her birth had dedicated her child to the faith. Her mother is attributed to have said, “I have named her Mary, and I commit her and her offspring to Thy protection from Satan, the rejected” [3:37] and the Qur’an tells us that, “So her Lord accepted her with a gracious acceptance” [3:38]. It is noteworthy that this prayer extended to offspring of Mary as well.
- The Qur’an mentions Mary as mother of a prophet and a pious lady. The Qur’an states, “O Mary, God gives thee glad tidings of a word from Him; his name shall be the Messiah, Jesus, son of Mary, honored in this world and in the next, and of those who are granted nearness to God” [3:46]. In another verse it states “And remember when the angels said, ‘O Mary, God has chosen thee and purified thee and chosen thee above the women of all peoples” [3:43]. The Qur’an describes Mary as “a truthful woman” [5:76].
I hope we all continue to celebrate together what we share in common and appreciate our diversity in humanity through mutual love, heartfelt respect and acceptance. This would be the defeat of extremism and hopefully would bring a Happy New Year for all.